The Feasts and Their Symbols
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the feasts in the life of the Church, explaining that God wants His children to rejoice, and therefore He has given them feasts that carry deep spiritual meanings. A feast is not merely a temporary occasion for joy, but a remembrance of a divine work whose effect should continue in the person’s life. Every feast has a spiritual symbol and meaning that helps the believer live a spiritual reality continuously.
Spiritual Message
His Holiness explains that the Lord’s Day is a day of rest in the Lord, and that physical rest is connected with a deeper and eternal rest in God. The Feast of Passover also proclaims the joy of salvation through the blood of Christ, while the Feast of the Resurrection proclaims victory over death and hope in the life to come. The Feast of the Ascension reminds us that man’s final destiny is heaven and being with the Lord. The feasts of the saints and martyrs likewise carry the meaning of rejoicing in the completion of their earthly struggle and their arrival at rest. The feasts of the Virgin Mary carry a special joy because they are connected with the incarnation of Christ, God’s plan for the salvation of humanity, and her position as a mother to the believers.
Educational Lesson
His Holiness emphasizes that the feasts are not merely days of rest from work, nor should they become occasions for worldly distractions, but rather they are holy days belonging to the Lord. He explains that a feast includes holy joy, blessing, devotion to God, and turning away from things that do not befit the holiness of the day. He also explains that the Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolizes a life of righteousness and purity, and that living a righteous life can make every day a spiritual feast. He also connects the feasts with repentance, confession, and Communion, because salvation and the renewal of a person’s life can be a true occasion for joy before God.
Practical Application
His Holiness calls every believer not to limit the celebration of a feast to its particular day, but to live its meaning continuously. A person should consider the day of repentance and deliverance from sin a feast, rejoice in Holy Communion as a fellowship with God and with the believers, and make Christ’s kingdom present in his heart, life, time, and feelings. We should also treat the feasts as holy days belonging to the Lord, living them with spiritual joy, blessing, repentance, and preparation for Communion. In this way, the feast becomes a continuous spiritual reality in the believer’s life rather than merely an occasion that ends when the day is over.
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